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Heat deal Pacers first loss of postseason
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-05-11 13:57
Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and the
Miami Heat beat Indiana 94-87 Monday night, handing the Pacers their first loss
of the postseason. Lamar Odom added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Heat,
who extended their home winning streak to 17 games and now trail the
best-of-seven series 2-1.
Miami Heat coach
Stan Van Gundy shouts at his team during the first half of Game 3 of the
NBA Eastern Conference semifinals Monday, May 10, 2004, in Miami.
[AP] | Game 4 is Wednesday night in Miami, where
the Heat haven't lost since March 2.
The home-court advantage helped Miami beat the Pacers for the first time in
12 tries.
"Our guys really feed off the electricity and energy in this building," Heat
coach Stan Van Gundy said. "They not only feed off the fans, but they want to
perform for them. If I could bottle it up and take it on the road with us I
would."
The Pacers kept it close thanks to nine 3-pointers, including four in the
fourth quarter.
The Heat used a 7-0 run to take a 79-72 lead with 2:55 to play. Wade hit a
pull-up jumper at the foul line, then dunked over Jermaine O'Neal. He sliced
down the lane, took a pass from Odom and jumped over one of the league's best
defenders.
Caron Butler hit two free throws, and Odom added another to cap the Heat's
run. They got plenty of help from the Pacers, who made just one of their first
11 shots in the fourth.
Indiana went without a field goal until the 6:20 mark of the fourth. Then
made just one more field goal until the final minute of the game.
The Pacers cut the lead to 91-87 on a 3-pointer by Reggie Miller with 21.7
seconds remaining. Odom then missed two free throws, but got his own rebound to
prevent a frantic finish. He made 1-of-2 from the line after a foul to put it
away.
"We're going to have to play much better to beat this team here," Pacers
coach Rick Carlisle said.
Despite the victory, the Heat still face a tough task in the series. Of the
173 previous best-of-seven series to begin 2-0, the trailing team has come back
to win the series just seven times.
The Pacers, who had the best record in the NBA during the regular season, had
been 6-0 in the postseason. They also set an NBA record by winning all six by
double digits.
Although the Heat held Ron Artest to 14 points, O'Neal found his shooting
touch that had been missing in the first two games. He scored 29 points on
9-of-21 shooting after being held to 31 percent from the floor in the first two
games by defensive-minded Brian Grant.
O'Neal could have done more damage, but he missed five of his first eight
free throw attempts. He then made his final eight of the game.
The Heat, meanwhile, still could use Eddie Jones to get going.
Miami had a 9-0 run to start the second quarter with Jones on the bench. He
started the game shooting 1-for-4 after struggling to get off shots in the first
two games. The Heat's leading scoring during the regular season, Jones was
3-for-9 in the first two games.
Miami outscored the Pacers 15-4 with Jones on the bench. He returned and
turned the ball over on the team's first possession with him in the game.
The run helped the Heat outscore Indiana by 10 in the second quarter — only
the second time in the series Miami has outscored the Pacers in a frame.
Jones did hit a big 3-pointer with 5:35 to play in the third to put the Heat
ahead 55-46 — Miami's biggest lead of the series.
But it was short-lived.
The Pacers trimmed the lead to 58-55 with 2:56 remaining in the third behind
strong play from O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley.
O'Neal scored 11 points in the third on mostly dunks and lay-ups. He could
have done more damage, but struggled from the free throw line.
Tinsley had five points and three assists in the third. He also hit a
27-footer as the shot clock sounded in the second. He finished with 16 points.
Van Gundy switched up his usual rotation, using Malik Allen off the bench in
place of Udonis Haslem in hopes of getting more offense. It worked. Allen played
18 minutes in the first half and scored 10 points — all in the second quarter.
Allen scored in double figures just five times all season and hadn't done it
since Jan. 28 against Cleveland. He finished with 13 points.
Notes:@ Brian Grant tied his career postseason record with 16 rebounds. ...
Miami's Caron Butler set a team playoff record with a first-quarter steal, his
10th consecutive postseason game with a swipe. The previous record was nine, set
by Dan Majerle in 1999 and tied in 2000. ... The list of celebrities attending
the game included singers Gloria Estefan and Jimmy Buffett, rapper Trick Daddy,
Scottie Pippen, Tim Hardaway, Darius Miles, and NFL players Warren Sapp,
Edgerrin James, Torry Holt, Bubba Franks and Sean Taylor.
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